Wateriness of white muscle: A comparison between cod (Gadus morhua) and jelly cat (Lycichthys denticulatus)

Histological sections of starved cod (Gadus morhua Linnaeus, 1758) and jelly cats (Lycichthys denticulatus Kröyer, 1844) with similar water contents are compared. Starvation causes the white muscle fibres of cod to shrink into irregular shapes inside their connective tissue matrix, while those of jelly cats of similar water content are seen to be rounded. It appears to be less important for jelly cat muscle to be packed tightly with contractile fibres than for the muscle of cod, so the former may be adapted to a permanent state of unusually high hydration.